Indonesia’s Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin Receives Gates Foundation’s “Goalkeepers” Award

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Indonesia’s Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has been honored with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s prestigious “Goalkeepers” award in recognition of his leadership in reforming Indonesia’s health system in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The annual award celebrates global figures whose work advances the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Delivering a keynote address in New York on Monday (September 22), Minister Sadikin reflected on his personal journey, noting that in 1964, the year of his birth, one in seven Indonesian babies did not survive their first year of life. “Thanks to childhood vaccinations like chickenpox, I survived, studied physics, and built a 30-year career in banking before being entrusted as Indonesia’s health minister,” he said.

Appointed in 2020 as the first non-medical professional to head the ministry, Sadikin was tasked by President Joko Widodo with leading Indonesia’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign and implementing the nation’s largest health reforms. Within two years, Indonesia successfully delivered 450 million vaccine doses to around 280 million people across more than 7,000 islands.

“My responsibility was not only guiding the country through crisis but also building a resilient health system to protect every child, family and citizen beyond it,” Sadikin emphasized.

Building on this foundation, Indonesia has expanded its immunization program by adding HPV, PCV, and rotavirus vaccines to reduce maternal and child mortality. “Every year, thousands of mothers and children die from cervical cancer, pneumonia and diarrhea. We must act quickly,” he stated.

The government is also prioritizing the revitalization of primary health services, with upgrades planned for 10,000 community health centers, 80,000 sub-centers, and 300,000 village health posts, supported by development funding.

Under President Prabowo Subianto, a free national health screening program was launched in February 2025, which has already reached over 30 million participants. “At 500,000 screenings daily, we expect more than 50 million by year-end,” Sadikin said.

He credited international partners, including Gavi, the Global Fund, and the Gates Foundation, for their ongoing support, stressing that global cooperation is crucial for strengthening and sustaining health systems.